Improvement in low-water detectors for steam-boilers



BERNHARD SUHFFER, OF BUGKAU-MAGDEBURG, PRUSSIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND UHRISTIAN BUDENBERG, 0F NEW-YORK, N. Y.

llVlPHGVEh/lt-NT lN LW-WATEPt DETECTHS lFOlt STEAM-BOWERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. lnllll?, dated November 22, 1864.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.,-

Be it known that I, BERNHARD SCHFFER, of Buckau-Magdeburg, in the Kingdom of Prussia, have invented a new and Improved Alarm Tater-Gage for Steam-Boilers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part ot' this specitication, said drawing representing a vertical central section oi this invention.

This invention consists in the employment or use ot' a spherical valve, in combination wit-h a iioat and steam-whistle, in such a manner that the valve is free to accommodate itself to the motions of the iioat, and by said motions the4 valve is prevented from sticking. The socket in which the valve works is perforated with holes, and the valve is so arranged that it is perfectly balanced and the pressure ot the steam has no tendency to press the same up in its seat, and consequently said valve will open at the moment the water sinks below the desired point and close when the water rises. The iioat may be provided with a hollow shank, whereby steam is admitted to its interior to prevent it from collapsing, and, furthermore, the iioat can be readily adjusted up or down to suit boilers ot' dit'l-erent size.

A represents a stcanrwhistle of the ordinary construction, which is supported by the i'langed tubular case B, and this cane is secured to the top plate ot' a steam-boiler by means ot' screw-bolts a, as clearly shown in the drawing. Secured in the lower end of the whistle A by means of a suitable screwthread is the socket b, the inner surface of which forms the seat of the valve C. This seat is concave to correspond to the spherical face of the valve, and a projection, c, close under the valve, forms the guide for the same, and equalizes the pressure of the steam on said valve in either direction.

In order to give to the steam free access to the surface ot' the globe c, the socket b is perforated with a number of holes, c, and the diameter of the valve is as near as possible equal to that of the stem close under the globe c, so that the pressure of the steam on said globe is perfectly balanced.

The valve-stem G extends down through the case B, and it is adjusted in the tubular shank D ot' the iloat D. The hole in the shank D is somewhat larger than the stem, so that the steam has free access to the interior of the iioat, and the danger of a collapse of said iloat is obviated. One or more setscrews, s, retain the shank Din the desired relation to the stem C. rlhe valve, having a spherical face, is enabled to accommodate itself to the motions of the tloat without admitting steam to the whistle, and by these motions said valve is prevented from sticking -to its seat, so that it is always in good working order.

'lhe tubular case B forms a guide for the valve-stem and limits the motions of the lioat in either direction. Furthermore, the valve, being perfectly balanced, will open at the moment the water sinks below the desired point, and as soon as the water rises it will close, and the engineer or person having charge of the boiler will be apprised without fail when he has to start or to stop his feed-pump.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The employment or use of the ball-shaped valveU, in combination with the adjustable iloat D and whistle A, as described, leaving the valve free to accommodate itseltl to the motions of the tloat, and preventing the valve from sticking by the motions of the ioat.

2. The arrangement of the tube r and setscrews s s, in combination with the float D and valve-stem C', as specited, whereby the iioat can be adjusted to the desired position and a free communication between the interior of the iioat and the steam-space of the boiler is eiii'ected.

BERNHARD SGHAFFER.

YVitnesses LEOPOLD BENNHOLD, France WnrLnR. 

